First, thanks to everyone who helped clarify my concern about the locals onboard the AOS, San Juancruise. It really helped me put things in perspective.
Secondly, I don't want to spend money on excursions at every port, but need some advice on which ones are best to explore on my own and which ones in which excursions are best. Aruba, Curcao, Dominica, St Thomas? I have young kids and we like beaches and shopping. How reliable are the taxis and/or buses? Thanks everyone..........

Hi 5thgirl. I have been to Aruba on three occasions and find that the beaches near to the port are windy and the surf can be heavy at times. We did Palm Island and had a good time there with beach activities and some snorkeling.
Curacao is really neat and you can walk from the ship to town and get quite a flavor of the area (the buildings are really stunning in colors) and do some shopping and see some great areas of interest. We have snorkeled the sunken tug and there were lots of beautiful fish but again, the surf is heavy and I would not recommend it for young ones. If I were going to spend my money, I would go to Trunk Bay on St John's, it is a great beach for all to enjoy. Also, you can grab an open air bus on St Thomas to Magans Beach and stay as long as you want and then get dropped off in town and do the shops and all. I have not been to Dominica. Hope this helps.

We got a cab in Aruba "Bullytaxi" we reserved on the internet. He took five us everywhere on the island, left us for several hours at Palm beach and returned us to the ship for $80 for the whole day. We used Curacao Actief tours in Curacao. We did the world of water tour. In 10 cruises and lots of experiences Actief was far and away the BEST we have worked with. We saw so much, we just us and the guide, had a great lunch. Unforgettable--but not cheap. Worth every dime. We love Trunk Bay. Not cheap to get there, the combination of cab/ferry/cab did add up, but again worth it.

I agree with everyone about going to Trunk Bay on St. John's (while you are in port at St. Thomas).

I was there two years ago and took the taxi/ferry/taxi route, but soon after discovered that there was a ferry terminal right near the cruise ship terminal that went directly to St. John's. I'm not sure if it still works that way, but I would have saved $20 between my wife and I and would have gotten there quicker. Just ask someone on the ship about this.